Antiquity Areej Le Doré 2019

Antiquity from Areej le Dore. To me, this is the pinnacle of Adam's work. Not only as a composition but also due to the nature of the materials used. Only vintage materials, decades old, impossible to source again, and it definitely shows when you smell it. This one is my favorite from the house, alongside War and Peace. They both smell old, Medieval, and Ancient, although in different ways.
I would classify Antiquity as a Leather perfume overall, but there is much more to it. It does hint at vintage chypres like Mitsouko to an extent, but only slightly, and if there would be any comparison to be made, it would be like if vintage Mitsouko from the 50s had a Medieval ancestor. There is a prominent Oud base, aged oud, old school style, deep and rich, therefore, it could also go as an oud perfume. One thing is for sure. It smells really old. There are supposedly aldehydes in the opening. I get none of that. They got lost in time. I get the peach accord. Almost spoiled peach that goes all the way through the heart where I believe it seamlessly morphs with the Cambodian Ouds' fruity facets to give the impression of an everlasting overripe fruit accord. The heart is dominated by carnation. What better choice than carnation for such a composition? Usually labeled as "old-fashioned", it comes across even more so here, as it is decades old. And finally, the base. Vintage Cambodian Oud, leather accord, lots of musk, and a gorgeous aged patchouli. The wood feels musty and rotten, the leather worn and beaten by the passing centuries, and the patchouli gives off a beautiful dusty-sweet-earthy aroma. The image I always get when spraying this perfume is of an old, Medieval library. With its old wooden furniture, the books with their yellow pages and leather cases, all worn out by the passing centuries.
A remarkable feat to be able to suggest such vivid imagery through smell. Old-world perfumery at its best.

IG:@memory.of.scents

Ahhhh man this is so good. Imagine if you will the most supple brown leather that it could be the inside of a very expensive luxury car. Add chocolate patchouli and bergamot and then wrap the supple brown leather chocolate infused citrus with a heavenly pure carnation accord. Like it was just plucked from within heavens gate and brought to earth for mortal men to enjoy.

And then add the most beautiful Cambodian oud accord with it's multifaceted woodsy and slightly sweet caramel accord for the drydown. Add a few drops of musk and you have a concoction to die for. I love this juice!

Well from two sprays of Antiquity I get all day longevity from 10am to 2am and even in the morning I could smell the basenotes. The projection though not stellar is better than the other three on my skin. So that 30ml bottle is going to last some time.

I have to say I have never worn a scent that has given me such a buzz and has had me walking around all day on cloud nine. Absolutely amazing smelling masterpiece!

Antiquity goes on skin with a slightly effervescent, chocolatey deep Cambodian Oud with an underlying carnation and patchouli tandem in support. As the composition moves to its early heart, the oud settles down, moving to the background, ceding way to an emergent super-strong animalic, leathery musk that becomes the focal point of the composition through the entire mid-section. During the late dry-down, the musk finally recedes to unveil the powdery amber and oakmoss-driven base but still hangs around, now in support through the finish. Projection is excellent, as is longevity at around 12 hours on skin.

Antiquity is a composition that is a tough one for me to enjoy. The chocolatey real oud driven open gets things going on the right foot, but the leathery animalic musk and deep rugged patchouli driven heart is way over-the-top for this writer's tolerance level. One can certainly appreciate the ingredient quality used here that is obviously top-notch, but the composition is just too rough around the edges, lacking the polish to match. The powdery late dry-down is very ho-hum, with the perfumer choosing to feature the powdery facets of the oakmoss instead its mossy-green quality. One wonders what the end result would have been if the stellar ingredients used here were composed by a more professionally skilled hand. As things stand, the discontinued Antiquity has its moments, showing plenty of potential with some crazy good materials only to ultimately disappoint due to lack of polish and control, earning it a "good" rating of 3 stars out of 5 and a very hesitant recommendation to most unless you like your compositions "rough around the edges."

Areej le Dore Antiquity

What starts off with a bright aldehydic peach quickly morphs into something worthy of the name “Antiquity”

Cambodian oud arrives shortly after the initial opening, completely changing the bright peach into something much darker. The peach is now overly ripe, past the point of being edible.

And then the carnation. The clove-like nature of the carnation adds this spiced note and begins the “vintage” aspect to the composition. Patchouli provides a damp soil smell, and combined with the carnation and Cambodian oud, creates an image of a long forgotten Christmas market stall. The wood was not treated, and has been waterlogged for a long time. The Cuir de Russie accord does its job well, occupying this rotting stall as a beautifully worn in leather sack that is holding the overripe peaches.

On my clothes this evolved quite a bit differently. After about an hour or so I was getting much much more of a chypre like scent. I loved this as it just added a whole different approach to how this smells vintage.

This is truly a one of a kind perfume, and I am extremely honored to own a bottle. While it is complex and evolves throughout its time on skin, I understood it immediately. I have yet to experience a perfume that I am so immediately able to visualize what is happening in the composition, and that is a testament to Russian Adams mastery of this art form

Russian Adam manages to captivate me once again. While he leaves me puzzled in terms of classification, he simultaneously evokes a deep familiarity, a warming sense of well-being. Not that I associate scents like this with those of my mother, father, grandfather, or grandmother - on the contrary, Adam's creation does not come across as outdated at all - rather, it is more of a deep primal resonance, a whisper within that brings everything to a standstill and conjures deep peace. Whether it is really the 'antique' ingredients or rather the perfumer's art that contributes to this instead of a non-existent memory remains to be seen.

Antiquity writes dark leather and unmistakably patchouli as its signature. Those expecting an extreme at this point will be disappointed. Neither earthy (which I personally cannot stand, and therefore am not really a fan of patchouli) nor chocolate patchouli fits, rather it is a resinous-dusty-dark patchouli note that I have not encountered before.
Peach aldehydes as a vintage accord lighten the fragrance significantly. They bring in a floating quality and a subtle freshness in a way that is hard to explain, appearing bright and fruity, and thus form the construct that makes this scent what it is. They pull it away from the dark-resinous track. They help it move from a dull-earthy non-perfuminess towards airy-floating lightness. They allow distinct fruity aspects to flash through at times and even seem almost clean.
Musk and oud contribute an animalic note that is not fecal but rather dark and dirty, giving the fragrance an unmistakable corporeality. Even though the unsweetened, almost clean fruit often takes center stage, some may well drop out at this point. I find the animalic aspect to be clearly within the wearable range. It also later forms the base that keeps the scent on the skin until the next morning.

Great stories are written but remain a mystery. This is how I feel about Antiquity. But who cares: what could be more beautiful than simply leaning back to enjoy and inevitably tuning out the analytical side except for a few aspects. Once again, a masterpiece by Adam....